The best whetstones and sharpening stones are especially important in violin making for sharpening carvers, knives and chisels. Sharpening stones and whetstones from Suehiro and King are among the best in the world. Only with well-sharpened tools can you do excellent work.
Suehiro is a small Japanese company that has been manufacturing whetstones for three generations. The founder of the company, Kenkichi Okumura, originally started selling stones from their own natural stone deposit, which had an excellent reputation throughout Japan. Through their many years of experience with natural stones, Suehiro has also successfully produced synthetic grinding stones since 1964. Suehiro stones are particularly suitable for white and blue paper steel.
The water stone manufacturer Matsunaga from Osaka in Japan, with its Japanese water stone brand King, is the Japanese water stone manufacturer that has long been best known in the West. The King sharpening stones are consistently soft and offer a pleasant feeling when sharpening, as you can literally feel the abrasion on the blade. However, due to the softness of the stones, they need to be dressed and made flat again more often.
Grinding stones and whetstones are tools used for sharpening and polishing blades and tools. They usually consist of a block of stone or a plate with an abrasive surface consisting of grinding particles such as silicon carbide, aluminium oxide or diamond. Here is some important information about whetstones and whetstones:
Grinding stones are used to sharpen the edges of tools and blades, while whetstones are used to polish already sharpened blades and maintain sharpness.
Grinding stones and whetstones are available in different grit sizes that determine the degree of abrasiveness. Low grits (e.g. 200-400) are coarse and remove material quickly, while high grits (e.g. 3000-8000) are finer and produce a smooth surface.
Most grinding stones and whetstones are used with water, which makes the grinding process more efficient and ensures better cooling. The water also helps to remove metal abrasion and prevent clogging of the grinding surface.
When sharpening a tool or blade, the whetstone is wetted with water and the blade is passed over the grinding surface at a specific angle. The blade is sharpened by the controlled grinding. When polishing with a whetstone, the already sharpened blade is passed over the surface in the same way to obtain a smooth and sharp edge.
There are different types of whetstones and sharpening stones. The most common are water stones, oil stones and diamond stones. Water stones are wetted with water, oil stones require the use of grinding oil, while diamond stones are coated with diamond particles as an abrasive and offer high grinding performance.
Grinding stones and sharpening stones require regular care to maintain their effectiveness. After use, they should be thoroughly cleaned and dried. Stones can also be flattened to ensure an even grinding surface.
It is important to note that using whetstones and sharpening stones requires practice and experience to achieve good results. If you are unsure, it is advisable to seek advice from a professional or follow appropriate instructions.
Suehiro Corporation always strives to produce versatile products that can be used by both experts and do-it-yourselfers. Above all, we strive to provide quality products that can be safely used by our customers.
